The changing self: The impact of dementia on the personal and social identity of women (findings from the Improving the Experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life programme).
Authors
Publication Date
2022-02Journal Title
Dementia (London)
ISSN
1471-3012
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Volume
21
Issue
2
Pages
503-518
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
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Scott, H. (2022). The changing self: The impact of dementia on the personal and social identity of women (findings from the Improving the Experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life programme).. Dementia (London), 21 (2), 503-518. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012211047351
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of dementia on the selfhood of women, specifically the ways in which changes occur as a result of such a diagnosis. Interviews were conducted with 12 women (recruited from the Improving the Experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life programme dataset), and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Emergent themes concerned the process of receiving and adjusting to a dementia diagnosis, the emotional and psychological impact of dementia, self-presentation and stigma and the self-enforcement of new boundaries. The analysis showed that dementia had a wide-ranging impact on the selfhood and identity of women, with newfound characteristics associated with the disease leading to a loss of self-esteem, sadness and anger. The women subsequently engaged in the modification of their behaviour, as a means of coming to terms with the losses experienced.
Keywords
Articles, dementia, self, selfhood, self-esteem, women
Sponsorship
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/L001853/2)
National Institute for Health Research (ES/L001853/2)
Identifiers
10.1177_14713012211047351
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012211047351
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/333606
Rights
Licence:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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